I think that overall, this was max a 3 star read. Not sure why but the first 40 percent of this book was phenomenal, and I was hooked. I loved the format of a bunch of short comics, written and illustrated by different people. Each short comic was incredibly inventive and wonderful to read. and then I hit about the 45 percent mark and everything went terribly downhill. The stories got weirder and honestly kind of boring. The art was still fantastic but couldn't compare to the poorly written stories. This was my first time reading an EC comic and even though I'm giving this a fairly low rating, I can promise it won't be my last. Looking forward to more.

"Cruel Universe" is an anthology of sci-fi stories from EC Comics. I got this as an ARC ahead of their July 2025 publication, and I didn't love it as much as I hoped. Many stories were too short, descending into tired clichés. Some had a 60s/70s nostalgic charm, and 2 or 3 I genuinely enjoyed. Overall, the focus was obviously on the art style, with stories and narratives taking a backseat. Despite the "Penny Dreadful" allure, it doesn't stick the landing, and just feels rushed, or slapped together.

My thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for an advance copy of this atomic bomb blast from the past, filed with tales of fearsome aliens, high technology, astonishing objects from space, all told in sequential art form by many of the best artists and writers in the business.

I was a child whose favorite teacher, mother and secret lover to borrow from Homer Simpson, was television. Especially when my father had an illegal cable box that offered shows from all over time and space, at least that is what it seemed to me at the time. I could watch grade Z monster movies, aliens with bad makeup planning the end of man, stories about worlds under threats and much more. I also could watch Twilight Zone and the Outer Limits, which gave me the idea that science fiction could have more meaning than what I saw in galaxies far, far away. Comics were also my friend, and I would dive into quarter boxes with abandon, buying fist loads of comics without covers, ripped covers, or what had you. This might be where I found some old EC comics, or maybe reprints I am not sure. I know the stories seemed odd, dark even when dealing with science fiction subjects. However they were unique, and different, with a feel and an aura that was hard to match. I was glad when I saw that Oni Press was continuing the legacy of EC and after reading this can't wait to read more. EC Cruel Universe Vol. 1 featres many artists and illustrators including Corinna Sara Bechko, Chris Condon, Matt Kindt, Stephanie Phillips, Cullen Bunn, J. Holtham, Zac Thompson, Matt Bors, Christopher Cantwell, Ben H. Winters, Kano,Dan McDaid, Caitlin Yarsky, Jonathan Case, Artyom Topilin, Javier Fernández, David Lapham, Leomacs, Riley Rossimo, David Rubín, Alison Sampson and more in stories of hard hitting science, harder hitting aliens, and other scary things from beyond the stars.

There are numerous stories in the magazine, ranging from a few pages to a bit longer. We start in the far future, on a world that has the most highest rated gladiator games in the galaxy, a story that ends with a twist on who we should root for. A young astronaut, wounded by love as a chance to save a young woman from a horrible fate by using a black hole to travel through time. A cowboy with a limp finds a ray gun which changes his life. Aliens crash into cities, or sneak among humans, for purposes other than conquest. Woman learn a new way to serve man. Plus numerous other tales of stolen dimensions, destroyed worlds and humans being the worst they can be.

The stories are not long, and are of the get in, and get out style, with the readers going ohh I see what you did there. As with most of these kind of collections some are really good, some are good, and some are ok. The length does help, just as some stories start to drag, they end. The artwork really elevates this in many places. The artists knew the assignment and went for it, capturing the feel of classic EC stories, the bulky technology, the many switches and dials, the use of color. Also the faces are more exaggerated in that old style where one didn't even have to read the stories, knowing the good and the bad guys just from the art. There is also a lot of words in these stories, just like old comics used to have. One can sense the love and care the creators put into this.

Fans will love this work. New people might be surprised by the art, and the amount of words, but don't let that stop you. There is a lot of fun to be had here, by some great creators who put much of themselves in this work. And it shows. I can't wait to read more.

I enjoyed this 'comic' book. I did not count the number of stories but each one ended in a ironic twist. The art was decent and well drawn.

EC Cruel Universe doesn’t disappoint. Still short-form horror, Cruel Universe focuses on endings and betrayals ranging from the end of the world to smaller, equally-devastating scenes.

Horror (and science fiction, for that matter) is most effective when it mirrors the present, and these stories hit hard, ranging from Serlingesque to eco-Lovecraftian. While some twists are easy to see coming, inevitably lends to the tragedy of the situation rather than detracting. A few had to be read twice to savor the big reveal. I can’t choose between dinosaurs and mutants, but luckily with this anthology I don’t have to.

Science Fiction Excellence & Black Mirror Level Horrors!

EC Cruel Universe gives readers a delicious taste of the darkest and deadliest science fiction. It is truly excellent story-telling. There were stories within these pages that left me feeling haunted, with heavy emotional impact accomplished within few pages. Some stories sent a chill to my core, with disturbing imagery and dark context that left me as the reader feeling hopeless and terrified. The best parts of these stories are some of the realism found within the illustrations and storylines. These stories feel close to our society at times, and it made the reading experience much more enjoyable.

Readers, RUN and grab a copy of the latest and greatest by Oni Press! You will not be disappointed!

Short science fiction stories by different creative teams, with a tendency to go lurid and a fair few twist endings: this may be part of Oni's attempt to revivify the scandalous EC brand, but to British readers it feels much more like they've proudly invented the Future Shock. Still, even if the hit rate is as erratic as in the real thing, that's leagues ahead of their previous EC book, Epitaphs From The Abyss, which felt so straitjacketed by its legacy that none of the stories could even achieve a recognisable individual character, let alone success. And if there are a few too many sociopathic billionaires here, well, isn't that true of the real world too?

(Netgalley ARC)

As with other volumes of these new EC comics that I've read, this is a mixed bag. There are a couple of gems to be found- there's a great point of view twist in one story that made me smile- but a lot of the stories here are pretty predictable.

The art is good throughout, and there aren't any stories I thought were stinkers, but it didn't wow me either. A nice read on a cold afternoon.